Have you always wanted to get into tech cameras, but cost and complexity made you stop short? Take a minute to consider the ways the Phase One XT makes tech cameras more affordable and easier to use than ever before.
1) Simplified Workflow
Just a few years ago, using a tech camera meant dealing with extra cables, manual dark frames, constant LCC captures, and the hassle of several steps for a single shot. The Phase One XT has all the benefits of a tech camera, but handles much more like a “normal camera.”
With a half press of the shutter, the screen wakes and opens Live View (this is customizable). Fully depressing the shutter takes a full capture. There are no manual dark frames, no extra cables, and far less need for LCCs. It also has a built-in rotation, allowing you to switch between horizontal and vertical shooting–no remounting necessary.
This is what you’ve been looking for: A tech camera without the hassle.
Download our Workflow Comparison PDF to see how much simpler the XT workflow is
2) Entry Price
If you are considering a Phase One IQ4, you can add an XT and lens for only $10k, which includes a five-year warranty. That’s less than some tech camera manufacturers charge for just the lens. Even when purchased as a stand-alone, the XT is considerably less expensive than comparable kits from manufacturers like Alpa, yet the XT offers significantly more capability.
The XT is a major functional improvement in many ways:
- The digital back mounting plate (aka adapter) is natively integrated, and therefore included in the XT price, for which other manufacturers charge up to $1,290.
- The XT body has integrated rotation, saving on L-brackets.
- The XT body has an integrated Arca Swiss-compatible dovetail, saving on quick-release plates.
- The XT accepts the Cambo lens panels. Despite being a brand-new system, this allows you to buy pre-owned lenses.
- The XT accepts Hasselblad V lenses, via the Cambo adapter. If you already own several of lenses for the Hasselblad 200/500 series, you’re only one adapter away from using all of them on the XT.
- The XT accepts Canon lenses, also with the Cambo adapter. This really reduces the burden if you’re switching from a small-format TS kit. (While these lenses don’t really compare to the Rodenstock HR series, they are a real bargain for the quality, especially if you already own them!)
In the coming months, Phase One will offer a remounting service, to mount existing tech camera lenses into an XT shutter/mount. This saves you money if you already own lenses, or find a used lens in another type of mount.*
3) The Ecosystem Impact
The advent of the era of the XT has knock-on effects across the tech camera ecosystem. As many users migrate to the IQ4 XT platform, we expect to receive many IQ3 and Cambo/Arca tech cameras as trade-ins, which we can then offer at new and more competitive price points.
There’s no question the IQ4 XT platform is the most powerful, easiest to use tech camera available, but an IQ3 100mp or IQ3 100mp Trichromatic combined with a tech camera like the Arca Swiss RM3Di, Arca Swiss Factum, or Cambo WRS 1250 are still incredibly powerful, precise, and capable. Such bodies also offer a larger range of total movement compared to the 24mm range (+/- 12mm) of the XT. In the case of the Arca Swiss R series, tilt is integrated directly into the body.
Why This Is a New Era
The XT ushers in the second Golden Age of tech cameras. Tech cameras have always offered in-camera movements, best-in-class lenses, visceral tactility, and emotional physicality. The release of the XT makes those benefits more accessible and much less expensive.
Call or e-mail us with any questions, or to schedule a demo. We’d love to hear from you!
*This service will be rolled out later this year; please contact us to be added to our queue to be notified when the service is ready. No deposit is required to be added to the wait list.
